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CANTICLES.

as two yunge capretis, gemelwis of the sche 4. capret. Thi necke as an yvren tour; thin eegen as the cysternys in Esebon; that ben in the gate of the dogtir of the multitude. Thi noose as the tour of Liban that beholdith ageins damask. 5. Thyn heued as carmele, thin heris of thin heued as the purpure of the kyng joyned to watir pipis.

6. Hou faire thou art, and hou seemli thou most 7. derworthe in delicis? Thi stature is lickened to a palme tree; and thi tetis to clusteris.

Crist, of the holi crosse seith.

8. I scide I schal steigen into a palme tree; and and I schal taken the fruytis of it.

The voice of Crist to the Chirche.

And thi tetis schul ben as the clusteris of a vyne, and the smel of thi mouth as the smel of applis ; and thi throot as best wyne.

The Chirche seith of Crist.

9. Worthi to my leef to drinken: to the lippis, and 10. to the teeth of him to chewen. I to my leef and to me the turnynge of him.

The voice of the Chirche to Crist.

gec, ne makith to wake my leef, to the tyme

that sche will.

The voice of the Synagoge, of the Chirche. 5. What is sche this that steigith up fro desert, flowing delices, fast clevyng upon hir leef? The voice of Crist to the Synagoge, of the holi Crosse.

Undir an apple tree I rered thee; there schent is thi modir: there defoulid is sche that gat thee, 6. Putte me as a brooche upon thi herte; putte me as a brooche upon thin arme; for strong as deth, love: hard as helle, gelousnesse: the lampis of it, the lampis of fiir: and of flammes. Many wateris schal not mown quenchen oute charitee: ne floodis schal not throwen it doun. Gif a man gif al the substaunce of his hous for love, as nogt he dispisith it.

7.

The voice of Crist, to the lynage of holi Chirche. 8. Our sustir a litil child; and tetis sche hath not. What schal we done to oure sustir, in the day 9. whann sche is to be spoken to? Gif a wal she is, bilden we upon it sylveren pynnaclis. Gif a dore sche is, joyn we it with cedre tables.

11. Cum my leef, go we out into the feeld, dwelle
12. we togydir in townes: erli riise we to the vyne: 10.
see we gif the vyne flouride; gif the floures,
fruytis bringen forth; gif the poumgarnetis flou-
13. ren? The mandraggis yeven their smel in oure
yeatis. Alle appls newe and olde my leef, I
kepte to thee.

CAP. VIII.

The voice of Patriarkis, of Crist.

1. Who to me gevith thee my brother, souking the tetis of my modir, that I fynde thee aloon without forth and kysse thee, and now, me, no man 2. dispises. I schal taken thee and leiden into the hous of my modir, and into the bed place of hir that gat me. There thou schalt tecken me, and and I schal geven to thee drinken of spycid wyne, and of the must of my poumgarnetis. 3. The left hond of him undir my heued, and the rigt hond of him schal clippen me.

The voice of Crist, of the Chirche.

4. I adjure you, gee dogtris of Jerusalem, ne rere

11.

The voice of the Chirche answeeringe. I, a wal; and my tetis as a tour; sythen I am maad be fore thee as pese receyvynge.

The Synagoge of the Chirche seith.

Vyne sche was to pesyble, in hir that hath peplis; sche toke it to the keperis: a man takith awei for the fruyte of it, a thousand sylveren platis.

Crist to the Chirche seith.

2. My vyne before me is; a thousand thi pesiblis; and two hundrith to hem that kepen the fruytis 3. of it. The whiche dwellest in gardynes freendis herkenen thee: make me to heeren thi voice.

The voice of the Chirche to Crist.

4. Flee thou my leef, be thou lickened to a capret and to an hert, calf of hertis, upon the mounteynes of swote spices.

Explicit Canticum.

The above is taken, literatim, from an ancient MS. once the property of Thomas à Woodstock, youngest son of Edward III., and brother to Edward the Black Prince.

Millbrook, Feb. 1, 1823.

EXPLANATION OF THE MOST DIFFICULT WORDS IN THE PRECEDING ANCIENT VERSION OF SOLOMON'S SONG.

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N. B.-There are many other words which, though they appear difficult, a little labour will make out, as

they differ more in the spelling than in the sense.

THE

SONG OF SOLOMON.

Year from the Creation of the World, according to Archbishop Usher, 2990.-Year from the Flood of Noah, according to the common Hebrew text, 1334.-Year before the birth of Christ, 1010.-Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 1014.

CHAPTER I.

The bride's love to her spouse, 1—5.

She confesses her unworthiness; desires to be directed to the flock, 6, 7; and she is directed to the shepherds' tents, 8. The bridegroom describes his bride, and shows how he will provide for her, and how comfortably they are accommodated, 9-17.

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NOTES ON CHAP. I. Verse 1. The song of songs] A song of peculiar excellence. See the Introduction. The rabbins consider this superior to all songs. TEN songs, says the Targum, have been sung; but this excels them all. 1. The first was sung by Adam when his sin was pardoned. 2. The second was sung by Moses and the Israelites at the Red Sea. 3. The third was sung by the Israelites when they drank of the rock in the wilderness. 4. The fourth was sung by Moses when summoned to depart from this world. 5. The fifth was sung by Joshua when the sun and moon stood still. 6. The sixth was sung by Deborah and Barak after the defeat of Sisera. 7. The seventh was sung by Hannah when the Lord promised her a son. 8. The eighth was sung by David for all the mercies given him by God. 9. The ninth is the present, sung in the spirit of prophecy by Solomon. 10. The tenth is that which shall be sung by the children of Israel when restored from their captivities. See the Targum. Verse 2. Let him kiss me, &c.] She speaks of the bridegroom in the third person, to testify her own modesty, and to show him the greater respect.

Thy love is better than wine.] The Versions in general translate 777 dodeyca, thy breasts; and they

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6 Look not upon me, because I am black, e Phil. iii. 12, 13, 14.- Ps. xlv. 14, 15. John xiv. 2. Eph. ii. 6. —— Or, they love thee uprightly. are said to represent, spiritually, the Old and New Testaments.

Verse 3. Thy name is as ointment poured forth] Ointments and perfumes were, and still are, in great request among the Asiatics. They occur constantly in their entertainments. Thy name is as refreshing to my heart, as the best perfumes diffused through a chamber are to the senses of the guests.

Therefore do the virgins love thee.] She means herself; but uses this periphrasis through modesty. Verse 4. Draw me] Let me have the full assurance of thy affection.

We will run after thee] Speaking in the plural through modesty, while still herself is meant. The king hath brought me] My spouse is a potentate, a mighty king, no ordinary person. Into his chambers] He has favoured me with his utmost confidence.

The upright love thee.] The most perfect and ac complished find thee worthy of their highest esteem. Verse 5. I am black, but comely] This is literally true of many of the Asiatic women; though black or brown, they are exquisitely beautiful. Many of the Egyptian women are still fine; but their complexion is much inferior to that of the Palestine females,

The bride's commendation

A. M. cir. 2990.

B. C. cir. 1014.
Ante L. Ol.
cir. 238.

Ante U.C. c. 261.

were angry

CHAP. I.

because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children with me'; they made me keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. 7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? 8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shep

:

herds' tents.

b

a

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Or, as one that is veiled.- b Ch. v. 9. vi, 1. C Ch. ii, 2, 10, 13. iv. 1,7. v. 2. vi. 4. John xv. 14, 15.- d 2 Chron. i. 16, 17. Ezek. xvi. 11, 12, 13.—fÓr, cypress. Ch. iv.

Though black or swarthy in my complexion, yet am
I comely-well proportioned in every part.

As the tents of Kedar] I am tawny, like the tents of the Arabians, and like the pavilions of Solomon probably covered by a kind of tanned cloth. The daughters of Jerusalem are said to represent the synagogue; the bride, the church of Christ. It is easy to find spiritual meanings: every creed will furnish them. Verse 6. Because the sun hath looked upon me] The bride gives here certain reasons why she was dark complexioned. "The sun hath looked upon me." I am sun-burnt, tanned by the sun; being obliged, perhaps, through some domestic jealousy or uneasiness, to keep much without: "My mother's children were angry; they made me keeper of the vineyards." Here the brown complexion of the Egyptians is attributed to the influence of the sun or climate.

My mother's children were angry with me] Acted severely. The bringing of a foreigner to the throne would no doubt excite jealousy among the Jewish females; who, from their own superior complexion, national and religious advantages, might well suppose that Solomon should not have gone to Egypt for a wife and queen, while Judea could have furnished him with every kind of superior excellence.

Verse 7. Tell me where thou feedest] This is spoken as if the parties were shepherds, or employed in the pastoral life. But how this would apply either to Solomon, or the princess of Egypt, is not easy to ascertain. Probably in the marriage festival there was something like our masks, in which persons of quality assumed rural characters and their employSee that fine one composed by Milton, called COMUS.

ments.

of the bridegroom.

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16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

17 The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.

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One that turneth aside] As a wanderer; one who, not knowing where to find her companions, wanders fruitlessly in seeking them. It was customary for shepherds to drive their flocks together for the purpose of conversing, playing on the pipe, or having trials of skill in poetry or music. So VIRGIL: Forte sub arguta consederat ilice Daphnis Compulerantque greges Corydon et Thyrsis in unum : Thyrsis oves, Corydon distentas lacte capellas; Ambo florentes ætatibus, Arcades ambo, Et cantare pares, et respondere parati.-ECL. vii. v. 1. "Beneath a holm repaired two jolly swains: Their sheep and goats together grazed the plains; To sing and answer as the song required."—Dryden. young Arcadians, both alike inspired

Both

This does not express the sense of the original: from the different pastures in which they had been accustomed to feed their flocks, they drove their sheep and goats together for the purpose mentioned in the pastoral; and, in course, returned to their respective pasturages, when their business was over.

Verse 8. If thou know not] This appears to be the reply of the virgins. They know not exactly; and therefore direct the bride to the shepherds, who would give information.

Verse 9. I have compared thee-to a company of horses] This may be translated, more literally, "I have compared thee no lesusathi, to my mare, in the chariots or courses of Pharaoh ;" and so the Versions understood it. Mares, in preference to horses, were used both for riding and for chariots in the East. They are much swifter, endure more hardship, and will go longer without food, than either the stallion or To rest at noon] In hot countries the shepherds the gelding. There is perhaps no brute creature in and their flocks are obliged to retire to shelter during the world so beautiful as a fine well-bred horse or the burning heats of the noon-day sun. This is commare; and the finest woman in the universe, Helen, mon in all countries, in the summer heats, where has been compared to a horse in a Thessalian chariot, shelter can be had. by Theocritus. Idyl. xviii. ver. 28:

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This passage amply justifies the Hebrew bard, in compared to the bunches of grapes; by no means the simile before us. See Jer. vi. 2.

Verse 10. Thy cheeks are comely] D' Arvieux has remarked that "the Arabian ladies wear a great many pearls about their necks and caps. They have gold chains about their necks which hang down upon their bosoms with strings of coloured gauze; the gauze itself bordered with zechins and other pieces of gold coin, which hang upon their foreheads and both cheeks. The ordinary women wear small silver coins, with which they cover their forehead-piece like fish scales, as this is one of the principal ornaments of their faces." I have seen their essence bottles ornamented with festoons of aspers, and small pieces of silver pearls, beads, &c. One of these is now be

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an unfit similitude for thick black clustering curls. The following lines represent the same idea:

و فرع يزين اطتن اسود فاحم اثيث كقن اللنخلة اطتعثكل

"The dark black locks that ornament her neck Hang thick and clustering like the branchy palm." Verse 15. Thou hast doves eyes, The large and beautiful dove of Syria is supposed to be here referred to, the eyes of which are remarkably fine.

Verse 16. Also our bed is green.] wy eres, from its use in several places of the Hebrew Bible, generally signifies a mattress; and here probably a green bank is meant, on which they sat down, berg now on a walk in the country. Or it may mean a bower in a garden, or the nuptial bed.

Verse 17. The beams of our house are cedar] Perhaps it was under a cedar tree, whose vast limbs were interwoven with the a beroth, a tree of the cypress kind, where they now sat. And this natural bower recommended itself to the poet's attention by its strength, loftiness, and its affording them a shady cover and cool retreat. How natural to break out into the praise of a bower, by whose branches and foliage we are shielded from the intense heat of the sun! Even the shelter of a great rock in a weary land is celebrated by the pen of the first of prophets and greatest of poets, Isai. xxxii. 2.

With this chapter the first day of the marriage ceremonies is supposed to end.

CHAPTER II.

A description of the bridegroom, and his love to the bride, 1-9. A fine description of spring, 10-13. The mutual love of both, 14-17.

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